Energy and Environment News Roundup – 5.30.13
A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.
EMISSIONS
UN says California and China in talks to link CO2 markets (via Reuters Point Carbon)
Where greenhouse gases come from, in one graph (via Grist)
US lab experiment removes CO2 from atmosphere at relatively low cost (via ClimateWire)
COAL
The Chinese coal bubble (via Huffington Post)
China’s top utilities protest plan to ban low-grade coal imports (via Reuters)
TRANSPORTATION
Tesla CEO says company is tripling size of the Supercharger network (via GigaOm)
RENEWABLES
Solar cheaper than the grid in 102 countries (via Facts of the Day)
Australia on course to beat 2020 renewable energy target (via The Guardian)
Biomass to reach at least 82GW installed capacity worldwide by 2020 (via Navigant Research)
UAE solar power capacity to reach 20GW by 2030 (via Arab News)
India releases draft offshore wind energy policy (via Renewable Energy World)
Utilities weigh a turn to the sun (via Wall Street Journal)
As venture capital interest shrinks in clean tech, corporate investors swoop in (via San Jose Mercury News)
Feed-in tariff: policy tool encouraging deployment of renewable electricity technologies (via US EIA)
Minnesota solar could go from 13MW to 450MW with new solar bill (via CleanTechnica)
Xcel wants out of Goodhue wind farm deal (via Minnesota Finance & Commerce)
GRID
Utilities want a piece of the FCC’s $4.5 billion rural broadband push (via Greentech Media)
NYPA spending $31 million on transmission improvements (via Renew Grid)
Viridity’s software moves beyond traditional demand response (via Greentech Media)
OIL
Interior Department moves ahead on offshore drilling safety institute (via The Hill)
Shareholders slam Exxon on climate, discrimination concerns (via Houston Chronicle)
Arkansas residents sue Exxon after oil spill (via Houston Chronicle)
NATURAL GAS/FRACKING
Some in Europe are rethinking opposition to fracking (via New York Times)
Escalating water strains in fracking regions of US (via Forbes)
ENVIRONMENT
US drought damage could top $200 billion (via AG Professional)
California plan to overhaul water system hub will cost $25 billion (via Los Angeles Times)
Over 100 ski resorts join BICEP climate declaration (via Triple Pundit)
US sued over policy on killing endangered wildlife (via Los Angeles Times)
CLIMATE
Erratic US “weather whiplash” accounts for billions in global losses (via The Guardian)
Understanding local weather key to coping with climate change (via RTCC)
POLITICS
FERC Chairman Wellinghoff announces he’ll step down (via The Hill)
Rallies in 12 US cities protest Koch Brothers Tribune Takeover bid (via Desmog Blog)
OPINION
Here’s why 1.2 billion people still don’t have access to electricity (via Washington Post)
Why Germany’s solar power is distributed (via Greentech Media)
Kerry’s misfire about US performance on Kyoto emissions targets (via Washington Post)